YouTube live streaming on mobile will allow fan ‘tips’

YouTube is, without a doubt, the largest and most popular video-hosting service of our times. Even technologically-illiterate people know what YouTube is, after all. The Google-owned company has not rested on its laurels, however. Over the years, the YouTube team have introduced a wide range of features that strive to keep the service at the top of its game.

On Tuesday, YouTube announced that any content creators with more than 10,000 subscribers will now be able to live stream their videos on mobile. The feature is built directly into both the iOS and Android apps. In essence, creators will be able to live stream without going through any loops directly from their mobile devices.

According to the company, YouTube live streamed videos on mobile will have the same features and protections that regular videos enjoy. To be more precise, users will be able to search for them and see them in recommendations and playlists. Moreover, they will also be protected from “unauthorized use”.

At this point, it’s worth noting that YouTube live streaming is nothing new. In fact, similar features have been supported in the service since 2011. A few months ago, YouTube even added support for immersive 360-degree live video at up to 4K resolutions. Capitalizing on virtual reality is, after all, a major focus for video platforms right now.

This move is entirely dedicated to YouTube live streaming on mobile, particularly from its own app. The company has been desperately trying to create and foster relationships with content creators after receiving several rounds of criticism for its previous approaches.

YouTube has been testing the feature for a little while and has fine-tuned several features, presumably in anticipating for this launch. Live chat, for instance, has been slowed down so that content creators will actually be able to interact with their fans without getting lost in a sea of messages.

Speaking of that, users will now be able to directly tip creators through the ‘Super Chat’ feature. This monetization tool will allow users to purchase a so-called Super Chat which will prominently display their message along with the donated amount.

Most, if not all, of the donated money will go directly to the content creators. This is a very similar feature to what Twitch has been doing for a while now though it is obviously open to a much wider range of content.

However, it also seems that the feature will be far more prone to abuse as YouTube notes that creators will be responsible for filtering out bad comments and, in extension, Super Chats. Of course, automatic controls will also be in place but circumventing those is usually extremely easy.

The mobile YouTube live streaming feature will soon open to more content creators, not just those with 10,000+ subscribers. Whether YouTube’s new monetization options will work or not is unknown at this point but offering more options to creators is a good starting point.

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About Adam Pothitos

Adam has been keenly interested in the mobile and marketing industries for as long as he can remember. He believes that the mobile and digital evolutions have completely transformed our world and wants to be a close part of that ever-shifting landscape. Towards that end, he has written for a number of online publications on matters of the mobile market, the computer industry, and all kinds of technology. When he’s not dealing with technology, he’s always interested in some good discussions on psychology.